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The Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 and Toyota LandCruiser Prado were among the big movers of Australia's new-vehicle market in March, as the overall sales decline appeared to slow.
All up, 108,606 new vehicles found homes across Australia in March, which was a drop of 0.9 per cent on the same month last year, but the FCAI points out that the latter was the biggest March on record.
It would signal a levelling-out of the new-car market, at least for the month, after January and February saw year-on-year falls of 3.3 and 9.6 per cent respectively.
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But it is Australia's top-10 vehicles for the month which make for the most interesting reading, with the Ford Ranger dethroning the Toyota RAV4 to reclaim the title of our most popular vehicle, with 4932 sales (down 12.9 per cent on March 2024).
That pushed the RAV4 to second position, with 4321 sales (down 14.8 per cent), while the Toyota HiLux nabbed the final podium spot, with 4081 sales (up 2.2 per cent).
The Mitsubishi Outlander finished in fourth spot, with 3005 sales, while the Toyota Prado claimed fifth, with 2871 sales – seemingly validating Toyota Australia's insistence that the model's sales numbers would dispel the notion that customers were unhappy with any backseat or boot practicality quirks.
The BYD Shark 6 is officially a top-10 model in Australia, with the plug-in hybrid Chinese ute claiming 2810 sales, while the Ford Everest (2100), Isuzu D-Max (2088) MG ZS (2020) and Hyundai Kona (2011) rounded out the top 10.
In the battle of the brands, it was Toyota who finished on top, with 20,541 sales, followed by followed by Ford (8232), Mazda (8000), Kia (7307) and Mitsubishi (7265).
Interestingly, the FCAI used the results to seemingly attack electric vehicles in Australia, pointing out that EVs made up just 4.9 per cent of total sales, while acknowledging that their numbers don't include Tesla or Polestar – the former being by far the biggest electric vehicle brand in the country.
Plug-in hybrid sales continue to soar, however, with March numbers up 380 per cent up on 2024, which the FCAI says "reflects the impact of the removal of the Commonwealth Government’s FBT exemption for these vehicles from 1 April".
"We are at a critical point in transitioning to a lower-emission vehicle fleet. But the reality is clear: Australian families and businesses are not shifting in large numbers to EVs,” FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said via a release.
“While the supply of EVs is increasing, now with 89 models available in Australia, the demand for EVs is weak. The early adopters have acted but the rest of the vehicle-buying public has not followed.
"...Questions must be asked about the Government’s modelling and in particular their assumptions about consumer acceptance of new low-emissions technologies.”
Top selling makes March 2025
| Rank | Make | Sales | Variance (%) |
| 1 | Toyota | 20,541 | +8.3 |
| 2 | Ford | 8232 | -5.6 |
| 3 | Mazda | 8000 | -3.0 |
| 4 | Kia | 7307 | +3.4 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 7265 | -7.6 |
| 6 | Hyundai | 6813 | +13.8 |
| 7 | BYD | 4811 | +196.6 |
| 8 | GWM | 4393 | +21.4 |
| 9 | Nissan | 4079 | -18.0 |
| 10 | MG | 3926 | -0.6 |
Top selling models March 2025
| Rank | Make/model | Sales | Variance % |
| 1 | Ford Ranger | 4932 | -12.9 |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 | 4321 | -14.8 |
| 3 | Toyota HiLux | 4081 | +2.2 |
| 4 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 3005 | +8.7 |
| 5 | Toyota Prado | 2871 | +543.7 |
| 6 | BYD Shark 6 | 2810 | N/A |
| 7 | Ford Everest | 2100 | -7.2 |
| 8 | Isuzu D-Max | 2088 | -15.3 |
| 9 | MG ZS | 2020 | -1.3 |
| 10 | Hyundai Kona | 2011 | +25.1 |
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